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Apr 10 Together, Alone

Yolanda — I became an activist because this tragedy is separating families, destroying lives, and [stealing] time that we will never recover. I co-founded a group, Dreamers Moms USA/Tijuana, of deported women in Tijuana who have children in the United States. I believe things will change in time. Perhaps we will never see it. Maybe our grandchildren will see it, maybe our kids. But, there will be change. I have seen things change already. People are starting to take notice and change their way of thinking. That’s part of our work. We want to awaken people’s consciousness. We want them to stand up and fight against this injustice. If we only sit [on the sidelines] nothing will change.

Dreamers Moms started simply as a group of women who met to talk. The group is a lifesaver. Now we support each other as we learn how to battle for shared custody of our children, how to fight our deportation, and how to raise funds for our legal challenges. Even if only two or three of us return home, that would be a major accomplishment.

In a way, we are new family. Yet, while we have each other, we also are alone. We are not home. We are not where we belong. Women are the nucleus of the family. Children need their mothers. I need my family.